Dog bite ordeal at Staffordshire car park

A woman out for a walk at Cannock Chase was bitten on the arm by a mastiff which had been let out of a car by its ‘reckless’ owner without a lead, a court has heard.

Sharron McCann was at the beauty spot with her family and her own pets when the dog called Bruno jumped up and bit her on New Year’s Eve in the car park at Brocton Coppice, near Stafford.

She was left in tears by the attack, which happened at 3.30pm, and was treated in hospital for the bite.

Owner Liam McClean, 32, admitted being the owner of a dog which was dangerously out of control in a public place when he appeared before Cannock Magistrates Court.

Mr John Peel, prosecuting, said: “She watched a man release two dogs from the boot of his car. They had no leads and ran from the vehicle. She heard the man shout something at the dogs and as he did so one of them ran towards her and pounced. It got hold of the arm of her jacket.

“The owner of the dog shouted to get the dog to come back to him. He put it back in the boot. The owner asked if she was okay. When she looked at the wound on her arm it was bleeding and had two puncture marks. She was given antibiotics and tetanus.”

McClean, a support worker, told police his dogs Zeus and Bruno were large, aged eight, and had a standing height of 5ft 6ins.

Mr Chris Stapleton, defending, said McClean, of High Street, Norton Canes, Cannock, was remorseful and ‘considers himself to be responsible and respectable person’.

He said: “Bruno had never bitten anyone before, it was a one-off and just one bite.”

Chairman of the bench Mr Peter Gee told McClean: “This was a totally irresponsible act, to let two such large dogs out of the back of a vehicle without leads. It was at worst reckless.”

He adjourned the case until Monday. McClean was granted unconditional bail.